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KNIGHTSTALE22: A lovely game to watch, but anyone who plays the Sicilian Dragon will find R*C3 in seconds like I did. Fair Enough, I didn't see all the different lines, but OTB I am sure I would find the winning lines with the right amount of time. Sometimes you need to calculate, other times you know the move will win without calculation.

Material: Up a B for P, but White can capture Nf6 with 18.exf6 or 18.gxf6. White has sacrificed a piece, but the potential battery Rh1 and Qh3 along the open h-file against the Black Kg8 might pay dividends. Counter-attack is always to be preferred, but in this case, fear is not an option: White has an overwhelming attack. The White Kb1 has 2 legal moves, both dark squares on the back rank. The Black Rc8 controls the semi-open c-file and attacks Nc3. The White attack loses its punch without Qe3, suggesting a standard Sicilian exchange sacrifice at c3. The Black Kg8 has 2 legal moves and is vulnerable to 17…Rh8+.

Candidates (17...): Rxc3

17…Rxc3 (preventing 18.Qh3 and threatening 18…Rxe3)

(1) 18.Qxc3 Qxc3 19.bxc3 Nd5 (threatening 20…Nxc3+ or 20…Bxg5)

Black has B+N vs. R+P, but the pathetic P-structure should lose rapidly for White.

(2) 18.bxc3

Candidates (18…): Nd5, Ba3

18…Nd5 (threatening 19…Nxe3 and 19…Nxc3+)

Now, White must win material or lose.

19.Qh3 [Rxd5 exd5, and White is down a B with Bd7 covering h3]

With the White threat of mate-in-1, Black loses unless every move is a check or a defense against the mate.

antharis: Well, black is already ahead an exchange. So 17... Rxc3 should be sound.

After 18. Qxc3 Qxc3 19. bxc3 Ne4 black has two possible forks at the same time: 20... Nf2 and 20... Nc3+.

And after 18. bxc3 19... Nd5 attacking the queen and threats also Nxc3+, winnig the rook.

To be honest, I saw Rxc3 after a quite short time and simply knew (felt) it should be correct although I didnt calculate the following moves very carefully. I think Rxc3 is a kind of move you can find intuitionally especially if you are up an exchange already.
I hope, Anand played it. Checking time.

Jimfromprovidence: <patzer2><White can also try for 19. Rxd3!?, but then 19...Nh5! 20. Rxh5 Bc6! holds the fort.>

This position wins (slowly) because white is limited in his responses. He cannot move his queen (particularly to the h file) because of the back rank mate threat …Qe2+ as well as the queen’s protection of the e pawn. The two g pawns are threatened as well.

King.Arthur.Brazil: Few minutes. Any different move found 18.Qh3 with mate in h8, so black had seen this combination before, the goal: 18.Qxc3 Qxc3 19.bxc3 Ne4 recover material with best position. White followed 18.Bd3 with his mate in mind based on gx or exf6. So again the combination 18...Txd3! Black make a very good defence and white attack is over after some rounds. At the end: 37.dxe5 black mates starting with Tc1.
With Qh2 white treats 37.Txg5 with both Tg8+ or Qb8+ possible continuations. Black blocked with e5 the Q diagonal attack, and openned the Be6 mate daigonal for him self. The best reply.

King.Arthur.Brazil: Its very interesting the position shown by OPENDEFENCE after 18.Qxd4 Rxc2!! Seems obvious that this R is untainable, so Qh4? cannot be played. Also 20.Bd3 loose after Ba4 21.Qh4 Txb2+ with mate attack, nor 20.Bc4 simply Rxd1+. Seems that white was confident that Bd3 will give him better chances. The game proof it wasn't too much. Tc3 is a thematical Sicilian sac. as said, so a Sicilian player problably will not hesitate to do it first, and think after play and tick the clock...

Athamas: Black has a bishop to white's pawn. Black's knight is under attack from two pawns and the h-file is wide open in favor of white's attack. However, if you play the sicilian very often, the initial move is pretty obvious and very aggressive.

17...Rxc3

Now if the queen takes, white loses after queen trades at a grandmaster level. Two pieces for a rook and white's pawn scattered and broken would be terrible. However, bxc3 is also not advisable after Nd5. Qf4 looks decent, but Ba4 seems to keep black's advantage. I suppose that leaves

18. Bd3 Rxd3

Black doesn't seem to have a choice but to take it.

19. cxd3

I think white might be able to try Rxd3, but it doesn't seem as strong. The only open line worth having to white is the h-file I think.

19...Ng4 20. Qh3 Nh6 21. gxh6 Qxe5

Black's 2 bishops should be able to beat white's rook especially if you are Anand's caliber.

Black is up a piece for a pawn, but has a knight attacked (by two pawns). On first glance, moving the threatened knight will spell certain doom for Black, i.e. 17...Nd5 18. Qh3 and mate can't be stopped, or 17...Nh7 18. Qh3 and Black must ditch the knight with 18...Kf8 19. Qxh7 Bb4, (or Bxg5), which leaves White in good shape. But Anand has an answer prepared. The question is, how far ahead did he plan it?

17...Rxc3!!

A thunderbolt! Now White has no time to threaten mate with Qh3, and 18. Qxc3 Qxc3 19. bxc3 Ne4! 20. Rd1 Nxc3+ 21. Kb2 Nxe2 22. Rxe2 Bxg5 leaves Black with two bishops and pawn for a rook, with the remaining White pawns very weak.

conlcusion: In opposite castling formation, material consideration is of little importance. The main idea is to checkmate your opponent king in the middlegame. In order to win, black must stop white's threat while sacrificing materials to expose the enemy king

goodevans: Much as I’ve enjoyed today’s position, I would either class it as quite an easy puzzle or not really a puzzle at all.

If you’re looking for the best next move then 17 ... Rxc3 very quickly emerges as the only candidate worth considering. It’s a thematic Sicilian sacrifice and it soon emerges as being necessary to provide enough counterplay to prevent white pursuing his h-file attack. Easy enough then.

When you try to take the puzzle to the next level I would claim that it ceases to be a puzzle at all. What you have instead is a very interesting position where both sides have tactical chances and black’s resources appear to be just that little bit better. There’s no clear winning theme and I would argue that it’s no more a puzzle at this level than is the position after any sharp opening.

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